Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'Landys has made the surprise revelation that immediate expansion in the NRL may not be finished.
Papua New Guinea - although the team is yet to be officially named - was revealed as the 18th team in the NRL on Thursday morning at a press conference where both Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Papua New Guinean counterpart James Marape attended.
The announcement confirms the Port Moresby-based project, which will enter the NRL in 2028 with tax breaks for players and administration staff, and other bids, of which there is one in Perth, multiple in Queensland and three in New Zealand, will have to wait for the next round of expansion.
V'Landys made a brief appearance at the end of that press conference and was asked what Thursday's announcement meant for other expansion bids on the table, particularly in Perth, where things at one point were believed to be on track for a 2028 entry as a local consortium teamed up with the Perth Bears.
"The Western Australian situation is still progressing, but we are still having some very positive talks with the Western Australian government, and we are hopeful that there could be another announcement within the next two to three weeks," V'Landys revealed.
It could mean the NRL jumps directly from 17 to 19 teams, keeping byes in the competition, although there is no guarantee the NRL would add two new teams at the same time.
The Dolphins' entrance was difficult enough for the NRL ahead of the 2023 campaign last time expansion was ticked off, with the Redcliffe-based outfit struggling to gain traction on the player market.
That could see contract rules bent for the new team - or teams - and allow them to sign players before November 1, although V'Landys has confirmed that outside of the tax break for players, there will be no extra salary cap exemptions for the Papua New Guinea-based outfit.
V'Landys, as well as NRL CEO Andrew Abdo, have previously spoken of their desire to eventually have 20 teams in the competition.
